Amsterdam stabbing – latest: Five people wounded and one arrested after mass knife attack near Dam Square – UK Times

Local media has reported that Dutch emergency services are currently meeting to discuss the earlier incident.

It is understood authorities will address the press after the meeting.

We will update you shortly.

A girl and elderly woman were among the victims, eyewitnesses told the Algemeen Dagblad newspaper.

“A boy then ran away,” one staff member at a nearby shop is reported to have told the Dutch news outlet.

An employee at a shop situated at the scene of the stabbing is reported to have told Algemeen Dagblad: “It was very frightening. Customers saw an elderly woman being stabbed in the back. She was with her husband. I only saw it when the woman was lying on the ground. It was very grim.”

A passerby who fled into a nearby shop after witnessing a woman being stabbed told the outlet: “The woman fell to the ground. I’m shaking all over, it could have been me. I was in shock.”

Local media outlets have now reported that the cordon on Dam Square has been lifted.

De Telegraaf newspaper said the square had reopened after it was closed to allow a helicopter to land.

It reportedly flew away at around 16:30pm local time.

Though the cordon has been lifted, several shops have closed their doors early including the nearby Primark.

Dutch police have said they are not certain what the motive of the attack was.

Detectives said they would be seeking to establish a motive as part of their investigation.

De Telegraaf newspaper cited a police spokesperson as saying that officers had received reports of a robbery.

Police said a suspect has been arrested but said a motive for the stabbing remains unclear.

A large cordon has been set up on both Sint Nicolaasstraat and Dam Square, local media reported.

Footage shared on social media appeared to show a helicopter landing in the square, with injured people being taken to hospital.

Police said a suspect has been arrested but said a motive for the stabbing remains unclear.

A large cordon has been set up on both Sint Nicolaasstraat and Dam Square, local media reported.

Footage shared on social media appeared to show a helicopter landing in the square, with injured people being taken to hospital.

The stabbing is reported to have taken place shortly before 3:30pm local time, with De Telegraaf newspaper reporting that at least fourteen police cars and an officer on a motorcycle had swarmed the scene within 15 minutes.